


Teaching Forgiveness in This New Generation of Men

by Diary



Category: Glee
Genre: Alternate Season/Series 02, Bechdel Test Fail, Bottle Episode Fic, Coffee, Coffee Shop, Conversations, Episode AU: s02e18 Born This Way, Fatherhood, Gen, Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-11
Updated: 2016-05-11
Packaged: 2018-06-07 21:04:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6824128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Diary/pseuds/Diary
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Repost. Slightly AU. Burt and Paul talk privately during Born This Way. Complete.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Teaching Forgiveness in This New Generation of Men

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Glee.
> 
> Author's Notes: This was written before 3x14. Until then, I had a headcanon Dave's mother had also died when he was little.

At a coffee shop, Burt informs Paul, “I don’t trust you or your kid.”

“I don’t blame you.” Paul pours some sugar into his coffee. “But when you were our sons’ age, what would your reaction be if anyone had told you that you would have a child like Kurt?”

Burt glares.

“What David did was very serious, and there’s no way to express how sorry I am. But my son is sixteen, and I’m not willing to write him off just yet. Kurt, it seems, isn’t either.”

“Yeah, well,” Burt grumbles, “my stepson once let his friends throw Kurt into dumpsters, and for the longest time Kurt had a crush on him.”

Paul looks at him in shock. “Dumpsters? How much bullying has happened in this school? And how much of it did-”

Burt sighs. “Look, your son is the last person I’d defend. It wouldn’t surprise me if Kurt wasn’t his only target. But Kurt never told me about the bullying. I’m guessing his friends don’t tell their parents, either.”

For a long moment, Paul is silent.

“Burt, my wife died when David was very young, and I’ve always tried my best to raise him to be a good person. And I don’t know where I went wrong, where my son got lost, but I remember when I was sixteen. I remember how angry I got when a classmate called me gay. I tried to punch him. I remember standing there while someone remarkably like your son was insulted, day after day. It took me longer than it should have to finally start doing what I knew was right. However, here we are. I understand how hard it is to see past one’s son, but I did it when we first sat in the principal’s office. Now, I’m asking you to look beyond the hurt Kurt has suffered and give my son a chance to become a better person, like we were able to do.”

Shaking his head, Burt says, “Look, my first wife died when Kurt was eight. I get how hard it is to raise a kid by yourself. And yeah, I remember those days, just as clear as you. Only, I didn’t just stand there. I did call that kid who’s a lot like Kurt names, and if anyone had called me gay, I would have had to be pulled away. But even more clearly than that, I remember holding my boy when he was first born. I remember him falling asleep on my chest. And I remember, when he was three years old, he wanted a pair of sensible heels.”

Laughing slightly, he continues, “And it wasn’t easy finding those damn things, but his mom and I kept looking. I knew then that he was gay, and I was scared to death. Because I knew that no matter how hard I tried, there would be people who wanted to change my baby boy, who wanted to hurt him, and what if those people succeeded? And thirteen years later, here’s your son, threatening to kill the one person I love more than anyone or anything in this world. If I could, I’d take those days back in a heartbeat, but when it comes to Kurt, who I was doesn’t matter. What matters is who I am, now.”

Paul gives him a sympathetic smile. “If David is sincere, and I believe he is, doesn’t he deserve the same chance we got?”

“Tell me, Mr- Paul, if someone was hurting your son, how would you react?”

“I don’t know,” Paul answers. “I’d do everything in my power to protect him. When David was in the fifth grade, your stepson bullied him, and I talked to the school. The matter was solved quickly. If anyone else has hurt David, I don’t know about it.”

Burt looks down at his wedding ring. “My first date with Carole was awkward as hell. Kurt set us up, and I thought it’d end with me apologising for his craziness and us hopefully never seeing each other again. But it didn’t take long for me to realise that God had sent her like some kind of angel.” He looks up. “Finn said something he shouldn’t have to Kurt, and even though it was close to the pain I felt when I lost my first wife, I was ready to end things with her. I wanted to marry her, to wake up with her every morning, to go to bed with her every night, to share the rest of my life with her. I wanted her and Finn in my life more than almost anything.”

“But your son always comes first,” Paul says.

“Yeah, he does. Dalton is too expensive, but if it’ll keep him happy and safe, I’ll find a way to keep him there. I don’t want my son dressing in flannel and singing Mellencamp, and I don’t want him to be afraid for 35 hours a week.” At Paul’s look, Burt shrugs and explains, “When Finn and I started to bond, Kurt went through a phase.”

“And did David have something to do with-”

“No, that was pretty much all on me. But that’s not the point,” Burt replies. “The point is, though, that when confronted with people like your kid, a lot of people try to change themselves, hoping that make the bullying and pain stop. You and I both know that doing that only hurts them even more.”

“Let me tell you about my son,” Paul says. “He’s always been fairly quiet around people he doesn’t know, and it’s never been easy talking to him about the important things. He was a cub scout as a little boy, and he once made me buy bottles for a drive the school was doing. The teacher told them about canned food and formulas, and David asked me how the babies would drink the formula if no one brought bottles. We ended buying several baby bottles to go with the formula. When he was eight, a plumper left behind a book, and the next thing I knew, David was taking apart the sink. Three days later, it was back together, working better than it ever had. Then, he was unplugging the stove and using a knife to cut wires. He threw a fit when I made him stop and called an electrician, who proceeded to tell me that, from what she could see, David seemed to know what he was doing.”

“He fixes his best friend’s laptop whenever it has a problem, and he still carries our elderly neighbour’s groceries in. Occasionally, he’ll do her shopping for her. I don’t know why my son went after yours. I’m not sure Kurt’s homosexuality was the root of it, but I can’t say for sure one way or another. I’m not defending him. But he came to me and asked if there was any way he could apologise and get Kurt to come back. He recognised that Kurt having to transfer schools because of him was wrong.”

“I’m sure you have plenty of reasons to be proud of your boy, but those reasons don’t mean anything to me when it comes to my son being so terrified he had to leave his friends and brother,” Burt counters. “His favourite teacher. His admittedly bizarre outfits.”

“I do understand that,” Paul says. “If someone hurt my son like he’s hurt Kurt, I don’t know if I’d be able to forgive them. But do you really want to teach Kurt not to forgive those who have hurt him? He’s willing to give my son another chance. However you and I feel, whether we would be able to forgive or not, isn’t one of the things we need to teach this new generation of men is how to forgive rather than hold grudges? You forgave your stepson, and I’m assuming Kurt did, too.”

“What would you do if your son was gay, Paul?”

After a moment, Paul answers, “To be honest, I’d be relieved.” At Burt’s look, he continues, “I know that sounds strange. David has one friend, and we don’t have a large family. He’s always been more focused on his projects than developing relationships, and I realise it’s my own prejudices, but I can’t understand how someone can be happy never finding a partner and building a life with that person. He has a girlfriend, but from what I’ve observed, the two of them are both more interested in the club they’ve started than each other. If David were gay, I’d be just as scared as you are, but at least, I’d know that my son might actually find someone to share his life with.”

“Fine,” Burt says. “I have serious doubts about this, but Kurt wants so badly to go back to his friends, and you seem to be a decent guy. I just hope you and he are right about your son.”

“Thank you,” Paul says.

Paying for their coffee, they head back to school.


End file.
